Category Archives: Dads with Beards

Dan Barman, a dad (shown here with a friend’s kid) and well known Brooklyn based drummer.

Terrapin Crossroads is owned by Phil Lesh, bassist of The Grateful Dead. The outdoor patio is open to the public many weekends in the Spring, where families can hear this legend jam with other musicians, eat, drink and kids can play on the playground.

The fashion for The Grateful Dead dad is really all about the hair & the big smile (they are so happy to take their kids to hear Phil Lesh), but here are my observations;

beards, really thick & long – or just messy & scruffy

T-shirts from old concerts, or just a soft cotton solid

Sandals, did not notice any Birkenstocks

long hair.. the curlier, the better. Dreads always preferred

bohemian man buns, which are not to be confused with the popular “man bun”.

bun is looser

intentional messy look

Such a good dad protecting his daughter’s ears.

This dad has amazing hair, those waves!! It was a gorgeous weekend, very good hair weather.

I purposely walked around San Francisco to take photos, but didn’t charge my battery. So excuse the iPhoto shots – especially because the lens always has left over coconut oil from my hands. He told me he’s from Pittsburgh – but he explained, Pittsburg in California. Who knew? I got a little American geography lesson.

This dad was so kind to take this little girl out of her stroller, but then she started being a toddler and I felt bad for messing him up. Dealing with a toddler, is equivalent to dealing with a highly drunk, emotional friend – you don’t know what you are going to get – and it’s kind of petrifying!!

Dressed like Russians in the late 1700’s, early 1800’s this crew is getting ready to visit Fort Ross in California to experience Russian history…

My own child in the middle, he’s wearing my skinny jeans from Zara, which he had to squeeze into and I had to split the ankles with a scissor so he could manage to get them over his ankles. He’s also wearing a cropped military blazer, which fits him much better than me. Yamato on the right is wearing a fur hat and cape from The Salvation Army, pretty fun to create costumes for kids.

Father and Son. Ethan goes on a lot of field trips, because he is a professional outdoorsman – at least to me – I’m pretty sure he can light a fire with wood and stuff 🙂

Fine, Ethan is an artist, a professor, drives an old school VW van, has a beard, grew up in Kenya and pulls off a man bag beautifully…but don’t feel bad guys – you can do it too – even if you grew up in suburban Ohio, I believe in all of you, I really do.

Ethan’s handmade woven basket bag was a gift from his family who live in Nairobi, Kenya, where Ethan spent part of his childhood. These bags can be purchased on line, try to find a website where the crafters live in Africa and are making the money directly.

High top Vans will always remind me of cool skater kids… and they haven’t lost that nostalgia, or style.

This is style – Van high tops paired with a handmade Kenyan basket bag.

Michael is the little league coach for his son’s baseball team. I love how tough this dad looks with his mountain man beard, tattoos and manly physique. And Michael is wearing Dickies, a brand that’s been around for a long time.

Michael works in construction and obviously is a very involved father – believe me, little league is no laughing matter.. it’s major time and communication with parents, parents like me..exactly, not easy.

The town of Woodacre is located in West Marin County – it’s filled with beautiful sprawling landscapes, farms, wild animals and a pretty tight community of truly authentic hippies..You drive around these little towns, and nothing is creepy at all. Because it’s filled with a pretty progressive population of free thinkers- – most likely, no one will shoot you if you accidentally land on their property (unlike some other Southern American towns).

There are no chains, only mom and pop owned stores, where everyone knows everyone. I love the idea of a small town, but one that’s excepting and liberal..and not-judgemental. That’s my image of Woodacre.

Unless you have curly hair, you won’t relate to this at all. But curly hair people stick together, we can relate to the many, many awful hair cuts we’ve received. When I was a little girl, I had long, thick and knotty hair -So thick, I almost drowned from my hair blinding me while swimming. I wish the former was one of my Mara exaggerations, but it’s actually true. I think that’s when I decided to chop that drowning hazard off, so I looked at some magazines for inspiration. My former self, decided to go with whatever the supermodels were sporting, because at 8 with a heap load of self-esteem (before it was slowly ripped away), I thought I looked very similar to the girls in the fashion rags.

But the issue my friends, was not me; a naive young girl. The issue was with the hair stylist. How dare she not warn me of what curly, thick hair looks like when it’s short. Who wouldn’t point out that the model in the fashion magazine I chose, actually had thin, straight and blonde hair – and a thin symmetrical face, I might add? I was so little, I didn’t even care that after the haircut, people kept saying to my mom, “wow, you have four boys” – it took me a month to catch on to my change from girl to boy, merely from a pair scissor shears.

I grew my hair back (put a stop to all swimming activities), and really had no trauma from the incident. Back then, I had a great attitude about beauty, and rarely showered – so the fact that I looked like a boy, didn’t mean much. But this incident is only a small example of the hair situations I’ve been involved, because of my curly/wavy hair. And if I knew someone like Shai, the Curl Doctor, just maybe, just maybe – I could of avoided multiple awkward hair situations over the years.

Shai Amiel is a Los Angeles based stylist, a guru in the curly hair community – with the nickname “Curl Doctor” it’s no wonder Shai has curly hair groupies, including a long list of celebrities. Shai is the owner and master cutter at Capella Salon in Studio City. In addition to running this successful salon with his wife, Shai is a dad, who has lots of fun long boarding.

Fashion Notes: Shai loves hats and scarves..and he wears them quite well. He also works in lots of man jewelry – cool bracelets and necklaces..which I really dig. It’s tough for a guy to get away with wearing jewelry, but Shai makes it work like a charm. Please read below for the best tips for curls, Shai’s CurlMandments….beauty tips and wit – love this dad! If you live in LA, check out Shai at http://www.capellasalon.com

About: Rodger and family live in Malibu, where he takes advantage of the California life style. His talents are abundant…. Actor, Musician, Singer, Surfer, Skateboarder, Cowboy, Writer, Producer, Director, Motivational Speaker and DAD. I don’t know what it means to be a cowboy, but it sounds pretty fun.

Hair: I mean can this dad get any cooler? Rodger is a great looking dude, with major style and an awesome beard. I have this beard style philosophy – it can’t be neat or overly trimmed. A beard I like, is more free spirited in its presentation. A little messy and unruly, but only slightly…Rodger has perfected my beard ideal. The long, straight hair reminds me of late 70’s folk rock hair…it just fits this dad well, and man is he lucky!

Style: I love the fitted vest with a little plaid peaking though – -and the thick wrist cuff. A great example for men on how to wear accessories. The rolled sleeve is a great way to add some masculinity to any look – especially when its plaid.

Film: Below is a photo of Rodger from his upcoming Universal Pictures film, Scorpion King Quest for Power. Check out this stylin’ dad in his new film coming out in January.

Fashion Notes: An old preppy favorite, Ethan’s sporting yellow Tretorns, Beard: one of my favorites, still even with the beard popularity. Ethan’s beard is not perfectly manicured, but not totally wild..it’s a little bohemian, a little urban. Belt: amazing belt buckle, an anniversary gift from Ethan’s wife, Simple Jeans and T-Shirt.

The Artist: Ethan is an educated artist, with impressive credentials and numerous awards for his work. His pieces range from video installations to sculpture to large public works..and since i’m not an expert, i’m pretty sure my description is quite limited. His art to me, is something you want to talk about, stare and dig deeper regarding what it all means to you…..like this instillation of (T)Here1, which I added below. For more of Ethan’s work, visit his site. His pieces are on exhibition in several cities in the States and overseas, http://www.ethanworden.com

I spotted Ethan, and wanted to capture the look of a low key stylish dad in the Bay Area. I love the slight style components of certain men, who don’t necessarily follow fashion, but care about style in a cool way. A manner that’s not in your face, but when you get close – you see all the thought and sometimes “designer” labels!!!